The 2nd Annual Fort Worth Music Festival Is Coming to the Stockyards

The Fort Worth Music Festival and Conference, a four-day music festival and industry networking event, is returning to the Stockyards for its second year, from Feb. 28 through March 2. The event will take place in multiple venues in the historic district and will offer panel discussions, keynote speakers and, of course, live performances from artists such as Abraham Alexander, Angel White, Louie Thesinger and many more.

One of the most notable aspects of the Fort Worth Music Festival is its loose nature compared to conventional gated festivals. A ticket grants admission to shows happening at all participating venues. Between sets, however, guests are free to roam the Stockyards to find food, drinks and additional entertainment rather than being confined to festival grounds for the day.

Fort Worth Music Festival appears to be positioning itself as the North Texas response to South by Southwest. The similarities are not lost on Tim Love, the chef and restaurant and hospitality magnate who co-produces the event in partnership with Live Nation and festival producer Larry Joe Taylor. Love insists, however, that his festival is solely about the music.
“South By is more about technology and movies and things like that now than it is about music,” Love says. “Although it started out about music, we feel like there’s a void for that type of festival.”

Last year’s inaugural festival drew over 3,500 attendees, and this year’s organizers are planning to accommodate even more with performances and networking events being held in seven venues in the Stockyards, including Billy Bob’s Texas, Tannahill’s Tavern and Music Hall and an outdoor stage.

Love believes that of all the cities in North Texas with vibrant music and entertainment scenes, Fort Worth is the perfect place to host this event and grow with it as well.

“We really love the Stockyards,” he says. “It’s a unique place. It’s a great walking district that has multiple venues. So as we grow, we can keep adding more and more venues. It’s what attracted us to it. There’s hotels. There’s places to eat. There’s things to do.”

In many ways, this festival serves as two events in one. The live performance aspect will showcase up-and-coming artists for a growing audience of music enthusiasts. The artists were selected from over 500 submissions (up from around 150 last year). The final lineup is a mix of rock and country subgenres, from indie to blues to Americana.

In addition to introducing the audience to these artists, the festival will introduce the artists to agents, managers and label representatives in attendance. The conference portion of the event will include panels where attendees can network and learn more about the industry.

A festival that is designed to connect and uplift new artists just as much as it is to entertain guests is something we can all get behind. The indoor venues’ air conditioning doesn’t hurt, either.

The Fort Worth Music Festival and Conference will take place at the Stockyards from Feb. 28 through March 2. Single-day passes start at $39.50 and passes for the full festival and conference start at $229.50. More information about tickets can be found on the festival's website.